That night when all were asleep George and Francoeur crept into the lower hall in search of weapons. Lances, swords, dirks, broadswords, hunting-knives and daggers2 glittered under the time-stained rafters—everything necessary to kill both man and brute3. A complete suit of armour4 stood upright under each beam in an attitude as resolute5 and proud as if it were still filled with the soul of the brave man it had once decked for mighty6 adventures. The gauntlet grasped the lance in its ten iron fingers, while the shield rested against the plates of the greaves as if to prove that prudence7 is necessary to courage, and that the best fighter is armed as well for defence as for attack.
From among all these suits of armour George chose the one that Honey-Bee’s father had worn as far away as the isles8 of Avalon and Thule. He donned it with the aid of Francoeur, nor did he forget the shield on which was emblazoned the golden sun of Clarides. As for Francoeur, he put on a good old steel coat of mail of his grandfather’s and on his head a casque of a bygone time, to which he attached a ragged9 and moth-eaten tuft or plume10. This he chose merely as a matter of fancy and to give himself an air of rejoicing, for, as he justly reasoned, gaiety, which is good under every circumstance, is especially so in the face of great dangers.
Having thus armed themselves they passed under the light of the moon into the dark open country. Francoeur had fastened the horses on the edge of a little grove11 near the postern, and there he found them nibbling12 at the bark of the bushes; they were swift steeds, and it took them less than an hour to reach the mountain of the dwarfs13, through a crowd of goblins and phantoms15.
“Here is the cave,” said Francoeur.
Master and man dismounted and, sword in hand, penetrated16 into the cavern17. It required great courage to attempt such an adventure; but George was in love and Francoeur was faithful, and this was a case in which one could say with the most delightful18 of poets:
“What may not friendship do with Love for guide!”
Master and man had trudged19 through the gloom for nearly an hour when they were astonished to see a brilliant light. It was one of the meteors which we know illumines the kingdom of the dwarfs. By the light of this subterranean20 luminary21 they discovered that they were standing22 at the foot of an ancient castle.
“This,” said George, “is the castle we must capture.”
“To be sure,” said Francceur; “but first permit me to drink a few drops of this wine which I brought with me as a precaution, because the better the wine the better the man, and the better the man the better the lance, the better the lance the less dangerous the enemy.”
George, seeing no living soul, struck the hilt of his sword sharply against the door of the castle. He looked up at the sound of a little tremulous voice, and he saw at one of the windows a little old man with a long beard, who asked:
“Who are you!”
“George of Blanchelande.”
“And who do you want?”
“I have come to deliver Honey-Bee of Clarides whom you unjustly hold captive in your mole-hill, hideous23 little moles24 that you are!”
“Your lordship, possibly I may exaggerate if I remark that in your answer to the dwarf you have not quite exhausted25 all the persuasive26 powers of eloquence27.”
Francoeur was afraid of nothing, but he was old; his heart like his head was polished by age, and he disliked to offend people.
As for George he stormed and clamoured at the top of his voice.
“Vile dwellers28 in the earth, moles, badgers29, dormice, ferrets, and water-rats, open the door and I’ll cut off all your ears.”
But hardly had he uttered these words when the bronze door of the castle slowly opened of itself, for no one could be seen pushing back its enormous wings.
George was seized with terror and yet he sprang through the mysterious door because his courage was even greater than his terror. Entering the courtyard he saw that all the windows, the galleries, the roofs, the gables, the skylights, and even the chimney-pots, were crowded with dwarfs armed with bows and cross-bows.
He heard the bronze door close behind him and suddenly a shower of arrows fell thick and fast on his head and shoulders, and for the second time he was filled with a great fear, and for the second time he conquered his fear.
Sword in hand and his shield on his arm he mounted the steps until suddenly he perceived on the very highest, a majestic30 dwarf who stood there in serene31 dignity, gold sceptre in hand and wearing the royal crown and the purple mantle32. And in this dwarf he recognised the little man who had delivered him out of his crystal dungeon33.
Thereupon he threw himself at his feet and cried weeping:
“O my benefactor34, who are you? Are you one of those who have robbed me of Honey-Bee, whom I love?”
“I am King Loc,” replied the dwarf. “I have kept Honey-Bee with me to teach her the wisdom of the dwarfs. Child, you have fallen into my kingdom like a hail-storm in a garden of flowers. But the dwarfs, less weak than men, are never angered as are they. My intelligence raises me too high above you for me to resent your actions whatever they are. And of all the attributes that render me superior to you that which I guard most jealously is justice. Honey-Bee shall be brought before me and I will ask her if she wishes to follow you. This I do, not because you desire it, but because I must.”
A great silence ensued and Honey-Bee appeared attired35 all in white and with flowing golden hair. No sooner did she see George than she ran and threw herself in his arms and clasped his iron breast with all her strength.
Then King Loc said to her:
“Honey-Bee, is it true that this is the man you wish to marry?”
“It is true, very true that this is he, little King Loc,” replied Honey-Bee. “See, all you little men, how I laugh and how happy I am.”
And she began to weep. Her tears fell on her lover’s face, but they were tears of joy; and with them were mingled36 tiny bursts of laughter and a thousand endearing words without sense, like the lisp of a little child. She quite forgot that the sight of her joy might sadden the heart of King Loc.
“My beloved,” said George, “I find you again such as I had longed for: the fairest and dearest of beings. You love me! Thank heaven, you love me! But, Honey-Bee, do you not also love King Loc a little, who delivered me out of the glass dungeon in which the nixies held me captive far away from you?”
Honey-Bee turned to King Loc.
“Little King Loc, and did you do this?” she cried. “You loved me, and yet you rescued the one I love and who loves me——”
Words failed her and she fell on her knees, her head in her hands.
All the little men who witnessed this scene deluged37 their cross-bows with tears. Only King Loc remained serene. And Honcy-Bee, overcome by his magnanimity and his goodness, felt for him the love of a daughter for a father.
She took her lover’s hand.
“George,” she said, “I love you. God knows how much I love you. But how can I leave little King Loc?”
“Hallo, there?” King Loc cried in a terrible voice, “now you are my prisoners!”
But this terrible voice he only used for fun and just as a joke, for he really was not at all angry. Here Francoeur approached and knelt before him.
“Sire,” he cried, “may it please your Majesty38 to let me share the captivity39 of the masters I serve?”
Said Honey-Bee, recognising him:
“Is it you, my good Francoeur? How glad I am to see you again. What a horrid40 cap you’ve got on! Tell me, have you composed any new songs?”
And King Loc took them all three to dinner.
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1
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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daggers
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| 匕首，短剑( dagger的名词复数 ) | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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armour
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| （=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队 | |
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resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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7
prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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8
isles
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| 岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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plume
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| n.羽毛；v.整理羽毛，骚首弄姿，用羽毛装饰 | |
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11
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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12
nibbling
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| v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的现在分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬 | |
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13
dwarfs
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| n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式） | |
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14
dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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15
phantoms
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| n.鬼怪，幽灵( phantom的名词复数 ) | |
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16
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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17
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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18
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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trudged
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| vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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luminary
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| n.名人，天体 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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moles
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| 防波堤( mole的名词复数 )； 鼹鼠； 痣； 间谍 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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persuasive
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| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
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eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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28
dwellers
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| n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 ) | |
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29
badgers
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| n.獾( badger的名词复数 )；獾皮；（大写）獾州人（美国威斯康星州人的别称）；毛鼻袋熊 | |
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30
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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31
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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32
mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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33
dungeon
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| n.地牢，土牢 | |
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34
benefactor
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| n. 恩人，行善的人，捐助人 | |
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35
attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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37
deluged
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| v.使淹没( deluge的过去式和过去分词 )；淹没；被洪水般涌来的事物所淹没；穷于应付 | |
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38
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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39
captivity
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| n.囚禁；被俘；束缚 | |
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40
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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